Reinventing my pond

[Evguy1]

After many years of pond neglect due to work and traveling for work I have semi retired and want to fix my ponds.
Last year we were on the road for the first 6 weeks of the summer and when we got home we had pea soup for ponds. I fought it all summer long but only the cold of fall eventually killed off the Algae.
The older main pond is about 12' X 14' and 4 feet deep along one side and tapers up in benches to about 12" near the house. Gives us about a 3000-3500 gallon pond if my math is correct. There is only one Koi, one large gold fish and a few dozen small guys left after the blue hereon found us a couple of years ago.
View attachment 128641
This pond has a spillway that feeds into a pump chamber. The pump feeds a pressure filter with UV light before dumping back into the pond.
Last year I installed a Hiblow 80 air pump and 50 feed of soaker hose in an attempt at killing the pea soup but it did not.
View attachment 128642
I was just about to buy an Oase Filtoclear 8000 which is a lot of money but I figure go big or go home.
After reading quite a bit on this form over the last few days I went out yesterday and spent $15 to build this simple pre filter.
There are holes along the sides just above the filter pad and then it connects on the bottom to feed the pump chamber.
View attachment 128643
It was just a test and I used the filter material out of one of my rain water storage tank filters. Its just a 15" X 20" tote with three layers of filter material.
I was amazed this morning at how green the top filter pad was and I thought my water at this point was pretty clean. I'm thinking I should increase the size of this pre filter and invest in a good UV light and save my money on the new pressure filter?

 

[Evguy1]

Not sure why the pictures are attachments and not the actual picture?

 

[Evguy1]

After many years of pond neglect due to work and traveling for work I have semi retired and want to fix my ponds.
Last year we were on the road for the first 6 weeks of the summer and when we got home we had pea soup for ponds. I fought it all summer long but only the cold of fall eventually killed off the Algae.
The older main pond is about 12' X 14' and 4 feet deep along one side and tapers up in benches to about 12" near the house. Gives us about a 3000-3500 gallon pond if my math is correct. There is only one Koi, one large gold fish and a few dozen small guys left after the blue hereon found us a couple of years ago.

This pond has a spillway that feeds into a pump chamber. The pump feeds a pressure filter with UV light before dumping back into the pond.
Last year I installed a Hiblow 80 air pump and 50 feed of soaker hose in an attempt at killing the pea soup but it did not.

I was just about to buy an Oase Filtoclear 8000 which is a lot of money but I figure go big or go home.
After reading quite a bit on this form over the last few days I went out yesterday and spent $15 to build this simple pre filter.
There are holes along the sides just above the filter pad and then it connects on the bottom to feed the pump chamber.

It was just a test and I used the filter material out of one of my rain water storage tank filters. Its just a 15" X 20" tote with three layers of filter material.
I was amazed this morning at how green the top filter pad was and I thought my water at this point was pretty clean. I'm thinking I should increase the size of this pre filter and invest in a good UV light and save my money on the new pressure filter?

 

[Evguy1]

Sorry for the double post but its just not the same without pictures.
The pre filter has work very well and I have to clean it in the morning and evening or its plugged solid with green slime.
I came up with a better design today and built a test unit. If it works well I'll weld up an aluminum frame work and powder coat it black so it is less of an eye sore. The next version would be less vertical but this has been working well today. As the filter material gets plugged the water level rises to a new section of the filter. If I were to forget to clean it then the water just flows over the top of the filter and into the pump chamber which is off to the right via an underground 3" pipe.

 

[Evguy1]

Built a crude pond vacuum which has really helped clean the bottom of the pond. The shop vac sucks a vacuum in the 45 gallon drum which then sucks the crap out of the pond. Just turn the vacuum off and run the suction hose outside the fence to drain the tank and repeat.

 

[IPA]

Nice, smart idea with the overflow.

 

[CometKeith]

Sorry for the double post but its just not the same without pictures.
The pre filter has work very well and I have to clean it in the morning and evening or its plugged solid with green slime.
I came up with a better design today and built a test unit. If it works well I'll weld up an aluminum frame work and powder coat it black so it is less of an eye sore. The next version would be less vertical but this has been working well today. As the filter material gets plugged the water level rises to a new section of the filter. If I were to forget to clean it then the water just flows over the top of the filter and into the pump chamber which is off to the right via an underground 3" pipe.
View attachment 129145

Hi. It looks like you have some good ideas for your pond... and welcome to semi retirement! Can you post any pics of your actual pond? It looks like you live in a really scenic area. I love all the pine trees in the distance of the one pic.

 

[dustboy]

I need to warn you that there is a very hungry looking T-rex lurking just outside your fence. Might want to call an exterminator or something.

As for the pond, is there any way you can add a bog?
Your DIY vacuum is brilliant!

 

[Evguy1]

Hi. It looks like you have some good ideas for your pond... and welcome to semi retirement! Can you post any pics of your actual pond? It looks like you live in a really scenic area. I love all the pine trees in the distance of the one pic.

Thanks we love it out here. Top pic on post #3 is of the pond.
Mostly Fir and Cedar trees here but the Cedars are dying off as we warm up.
The new pre filter has work so well I can see the actual pond liner that I haven't seen in the last three years. My wife reminded me that for the last three years we have been away for most of April/may which is when pond mainatance around here should be happening. By the time we would get home the pond would be pea soup. Nice to be home this year and enjoy a clean pond and see the fish!

 

[Evguy1]

I need to warn you that there is a very hungry looking T-rex lurking just outside your fence. Might want to call an exterminator or something.

As for the pond, is there any way you can add a bog?
Your DIY vacuum is brilliant!

Hi dustboy, Rex keeps the bears from eating the herds of wild deer. The deer seam to like eating the grass around Rex.
We were just descussing a bog at dinner. The pond is shallow near the house side and that's were the algae grows rapidly. We thought of pulling the pond liner back so we could dig down a bit more and do a bog all along the house edge of the pond. How deep would I need to be? I would still have the littel waterfall and filter/UV light in the system but it would get rid of the algea growing area and also the shalow Heron feeding zone.

 

[addy1]

Love your truck!

Build a bog you will love it, grow neat plants, get clean pond water.

 

[addy1]

That is a beautiful pond! Love it!

 

[Evguy1]

Love your truck!

Build a bog you will love it, grow neat plants, get clean pond water.

Thanks Addy1, the truck is 4WD, articulated, has a 1500 lb hydraulic dump and electric powered. Its the only one of its kind. My company builds the same truck in 2WD non articulated mostly for municipal and university campus work. I will read your Bog thread again but this would not happen till the fall. Want to enjoy the pond this summer now that we can see the fish again. Can I get away with 12" deep soil in a bog? We live about 2hrs from the Pacific Rim National park and spend a few weeks every fall camping there. One of the highlights of the park for us is the bog boardwalk. Its about a 20 minute walk through a natural bog. The plant life is amazing and a lot of it looks extraterrestrial if you spend the time to really look at it. I'm sure a lot of people do the walk and say its just a bunch of wet grass with stunted trees. ;>)

 

[GBBUDD]

Very nicely done raised pond.

There's two types of "filtering bogs" One is so simple to create it's scary that it's not the only option and that is pvc pipe cut with slots about a third of the way through a 2" or so pvc pipe that runs the bottom of the bog or multiple pipes if you build a larger one. then the water raises up through at least 12" of 38 pea stone
The second is more the Cadillac it does the same job same basic idea but i feel it does it just that much better is a aqua blox matrix bog. it's about 24" at least and the water is also pumped down to the bottom of the bog but instead of little 2" pipe though that would still work. You have the centipede and a snorkel . The idea is the water is pumped to the bottom of the bog but it then reaches a settling chamber. "the aquablox" the water for a lack of a better word almost goes stagnant in this are where any heavy particles drop out of the water column and then rises up though 2 to 3" rock then 1 and 3/4" inch rock and down to pea stone if that' s what you desire. i have both so i can't say one is better then the other and addy has the first and she loves and has had amazing results. Can you add a bog to your set up ? sure can and it's really not that hard especially the first method. This area is truely seprate from your pond and you can raise it up as high as you would like and just have the water drop over a lower spot in one of the sides to the bog making a water fall or a spilway. all the work can be done without disturbing your pond. up until you throw the switch

 

[addy1]

Can I get away with 12" deep soil in a bog?

Yes you can, mine is 2.5 feet deep mainly cause I dug it that deep, sort of carried away.